Friday, August 11, 2017

3119. A Siberian Husky has painful ears for the past 3 years

Dogs with erect ears rarely get ear problems as there is ventilation and drainage. This Husky came 3 years ago with pus and pain in his left ear. Now his right ear is painful. I suspected some foreign body or tumour stuck inside his horizontal canal. Despite ear irrigation and medication, his left ear could not be pain free.

The left ear was very painful despite treatment. It contained pus again. Then the right ear was painful.
The old Husky's ears were operated and sent home on the same day. The owner was unable to clean his surgical wounds as the dog moved.

So on Day 15, the dog who went home after surgery, came to the Surgery for cleaning up around August 8, 2017. The owner found it difficult to clean his ear wounds. Under sedation of domitor and ketamine IV, the scabs were removed. An image of the right ear is shown.

Operation is successful. Note the intact drainage cartilage. In the left ear, the ear canal was
born twisted and that accounted for difficulty in drainage and ventilation. The drainage cartilage
fell off. There is some slight pain in the left ear but not the right on Day 15. Need to review after one month by phone.